Monthly Archives: February 2020
Darryll J. Pines Appointed President of the University of Maryland College Park
Currently, Dr. Pines is dean of the university’s A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Nariman Farvardin Professor of Aerospace Engineering. He first arrived at the university in 1995 as an assistant professor. Dr. Pines will take office on July 1
Black Men’s Encounters With Police Have a Negative Effect on Their Mental Health
Adversarial encounters with police have a powerful, negative effect on Black men’s mental health, as do efforts to avoid such encounters, according to a study led by Lisa Bowleg, a professor of psychology at George Washington University.
Lynn Perry Wooten Will Be the First African American President of Simmons University
Most recently, Dr. Wooten has been serving as the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Prior to her position at Cornell, Dr. Wooten served on the faculty at the University of Michigan for nearly two decades.
Racial Discrimination Directed Against Children Can Impact Their Mothers’ Health
The study found that when biological and environmental factors affecting women's health are accounted for, there tends to be a decline in a middle-aged woman's health corresponding to the level of discrimination experienced by their children.
Harry J. Elam Jr. Will Be the Next President of Occidental College in Los Angeles
Currently, Dr. Elam is vice provost for undergraduate education, vice president for the arts, and senior vice provost for education at Stanford University. He joined the university's faculty in 1990 as an associate professor in what is now the department of theater and performance studies.
University of Chicago Scholar Receives Book Award From the College Art Association
Darby English, the Carl Darling Buck Professor of Art History and the director of the Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago, was selected to receive the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Art Criticism from the College Art Association.
Tuskegee University Acquires the Pritchett Collection of African Studies Manuscripts
The Pritchett Collection includes more than 1,400 African studies manuscripts amassed over a 40-year period. The collection focuses on research on the African diaspora and studies of African-descended people in the Caribbean, Brazil and elsewhere in Central and South America.
Three African American Women Scholars Who Are Taking on New Duties
The Black women scholars who have been assigned new responsibilities are Teresa Y. Smith at the SUNYb Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, Toni Sims-Muhammad at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, and Stephanie White at the University of Kentucky.
Morgan State University to Offer Degree Programs to Students in Africa
The pilot program is scheduled to begin in fall 2020, creating opportunities for western African students to pursue degrees from Morgan State University. The collaboration marks a first of its kind for an HBCU in Ghana.
Four Black Faculty Members Receive Notable Honors and Awards
The honorees are Tressie McMillan Cottom of Virginia Commonwealth University, Mejai Bola Mike Avoseh of the University of South Dakota, Cle Cousins of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Derek D. Bardell of Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
Two HBCUs Sign Partnership Agreement With Manager of Nuclear Site in South Carolina
Claflin University and South Carolina State University, two historically Black educational institutions have signed a partnership agreement with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. The Savannah River Site is one of the nation's most important nuclear laboratories for both energy research and weapons production.
Five African Americans Who Have Been Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative duties are Maria Ramirez at New York University, Ryan J. Davis at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Jamina Scippio-McFadden at the University of Massachusetts, Mary-Ann Ibeziako at Virginia Tech, and Shantay Bolton at Tulane University in New Orleans.
In Memoriam: Roger Pulliam, 1942-2020
Dr. Pulliam joined the staff at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1989. During his tenure, he served as assistant vice chancellor of academic support services, director of advancement and interim chief diversity officer.
Black First-Year Students at the Nation’s Leading Liberal Arts Colleges
This year, Amherst College once again sits on top of the survey. There are 81 Black students in this year's entering class. They make up 17.2 percent of the first-year class.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.
New Center on Racial Healing to Be Established at the University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas has announced that it is establishing a Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center. The center will focus on creating transformative and sustainable change in areas relating to diversity and inclusion.
Chapman University Student Utters Racist Tirade in University Classroom
A student at Chapman University in Orange, California, was arrested on several charges after he uttered a racist tirage in a university classroom, destroyed university property, and resisted arrest.
Higher Education Grants or Gifts of Interest to African Americans
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
The First Black Woman to Lead a College at Oxford University in England
Since 2015, Baroness Valerie Amos has served as director of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. From 2010 to 2015, Amos served as undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator at the United Nations.
Shake-Up in the Leadership at Jackson State University in Mississippi
After being arrested on prostitution charges, William Bynum Jr. resigned as president of historically Black Jackson State University in Mississippi. Thomas Hudson, the university's chief diversity officer, was appointed acting president.
George Washington University President Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Remarks
Thomas J. LeBlanc was asked if he would divest securities of fossil fuel companies if a majority of students called for it. In response he said: “What if the majority of the students agreed to shoot all the Black people here? Do I say, ‘Ah, well the majority voted?’"
The Dwindling Number of Black Tenured and Tenure Track Faculty at Penn State
In 2004, there were 83 tenured or tenure-track Black faculty at Penn State. By 2018, the number dropped to 68. In 2004, tenured and tenure-track African American faculty comprised 76.1 percent of all Black professors, however by 2018 this proportion had decreased to 60.7 percent.
Condoleezza Rice Appointed Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University
Professor Rice joined Stanford University in 1981, where she served as provost from 1993 to 1999. She was national security advisor to President George W. Bush before serving as U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009.
Report Finds That a Lack of Trust Impacts Retention Rates of Black Teachers
If only new teachers are considered, African American teachers with two years or less experience were 2.5 times as likely to leave Wisconsin public education as White teachers (27.9 percent compared to 11 percent).
The First African American Woman to Serve as Athletic Director in the Southeastern Conference
Dr. Lee has been serving as associate vice chancellor and deputy athletic director. She has been the department’s senior woman administrator for the athletics program since 2004. Dr. Lee was a four-year varsity letter winner in basketball and holds three degrees from Vanderbilt University.
Study Finds Prosecutor Bias May Not Be a Major Factor in Criminal Justice Inequities
The study examined whether prosecutors charged a felony, whether they chose to fine the defendant or seek a prison sentence, and the proposed cost of the fine or length of the sentence. The results showed little or no differences between Black and White defendants.
Adrien Bennings Is the First African American President of Kellogg Community College
Dr. Bennings previously was vice president for finance and administration at Clovis Community College in New Mexico. Before that, she was regional director of the Small Business Development Center at Texas Tech University where she advanced economic development initiatives in a 16-county area in northwest Texas.
Bethune-Cookman University President Pleads for Help From Alumni
In a letter to alumni, President E. LaBrent Chrite stated that “2020 will be a pivotal year in the history of B-CU. It will be the year our beloved university prepared to close its doors or it will be the year we turned a corner and began moving toward an exciting future.”
Five African American Scholars Who Are Taking on New Assignments
Taking on new roles are Jacqueline Jones LaMon at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, Gavin Washington of Kentucky State University, Brandy Faulkner at Virginia Tech, Jacqueline Hill at Bowie State University in Maryland, and Lisa E. Farrington at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
The Amistad Murals Come Home to Talladega College
Hale Aspacio Woodruff was commissioned to paint the murals in 1938. They tell the story of the revolt on the slave ship Amistad and the subsequent legal battle that secured the slaves' freedom and return to Africa.
Suzanne L. Weekes Received Teaching Award From the Mathematical Association of America
Suzanne L. Weekes, a professor in the mathematical sciences department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, has received the prestigious Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.
Eight HBCUs Participate in the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta
The show opened with a soulful performance by all eight bands, as more than 2,400 musicians and dancers joined together on the field. This year's event marked the first time that a woman band director - Dr. Nikole Roebuck of Grambling State University - participated in the Honda Battle of the Bands.
Colleges and Universities Appoint Eight African Americans to Administrative Posts
Here is this week’s roundup of African Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents Ousts President Austin Lane
Last month, Austin A. Lane, the president of Texas Southern University in Houston was placed on administrative leave with pay. Now the university has terminated his contract. Dr. Lane has 30 days to answer the allegations and seek reinstatement. He said that he would so do.
Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers
Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
